Delve into Wendy's World of Knitting, Illustrator, Cats, and Pixie Magic.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Identity, Part One

Recently I've been most interested in the subject of identity. And as many of you know, once you get interested in a subject, it seems that other people are interested in the same subject (it's magic!) Case in point, I've read with interest two entries from the Knit and Tonic blog: "Do you want to be known?" and "Trying so hard not to be cute". From my point of view, both entries are about others opinions/definitions of full-time knitters.

I'm also reading "Necessary Dreams" by Ana Fels wherein she quotes Erik Erikson:"Identity formation employs a process of simultaneous reflection and observation, a process by which the individual judges himself in light of what he perceives to be the way which others judge him in comparison to themselves and to a typology significant to them."

Is it no wonder that I...a gay, college-educated, past-professional, stay-at-home housewife, non-childbearer, whose current passions are gardening, reading and knitting...am a hard nut to peg? And that others may not know what to think about me or how to view me? And that, in turn, makes it sometimes difficult for me to know how to view myself.

It's no surprise to me that there are so many knitter/bloggers. We legitimatize one another.

I'm studying this topic so I may subject you to other posts about identity.

Thanks for listening/reading.

Postscript:The other books/articles that have surfaced for me with regards to identity are:

"Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell. This is a fantastic book. I've flown through it. Julie is to cooking as the Yarn Harlot is to yarn. The book is about a 30-something secretary who creates a self-rescue project: to cook all of the 524 Julia Child recipies within one year. This is NOT a cookbook; it's one woman's hilarious journey.

and Carolyn Myss' May 3rd newsletter titled, "Essential Life Wisdom- When is it time to evaluate your goals, habits, attitudes and lifestyles?" You can read her at myss.com. I've been enjoying her monthly newsletter and her books for years. I like Myss' style of discussing spiritual matters with practicality, directness and bluntness.